DENNIS THE MENACE Raises Awareness of National Preparedness Month in September

Iconic Comic Character to Promote National Preparedness Month (NMP)
in a Special Dennis the Menace Sunday Strip

NEW YORK – September is National Preparedness Month.Despite public education efforts and a higher frequency of severe weather events in recent years, many people do not know or have not performed any preparedness actions to increase their personal safety against a disaster or emergency. Dennis the Menace, the beloved and internationally syndicated comic panel about a mischievous little boy with a penchant for wreaking havoc wherever he goes, will promote National Preparedness Month with a special Sunday strip on Sept. 1, 2013.

To kick off National Preparedness Month, the Dennis the MenaceSunday strip, which will be published online and in newspapers, shows Dennis excitedly sharing a document of life- and property-saving information with his next-door neighbor, Mr. Wilson. National Preparedness Month is spearheaded by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and is supported by a coalition of public, private and non-profit organizations that help spread the preparedness message.

Ron Ferdinand, the Sunday artist for Dennis the Menace, developed the Sept. 1 strip. “Dennis has been at the epicenter of some catastrophe or another since 1951, so he is truly the perfect character for this effort,” he said. “Whatever our creative team and I can do to inform people about disaster and emergency preparedness, we are happy to do it.”

Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Dennis the Menaceis published in more than 1,000 newspapers in 48 countries and 19 languages and is viewed by more than one million readers per month on more than 200 websites.

About King Features

King Features Syndicate is a member of Hearst Entertainment and Syndication Group, which combines Hearst Corporation’s cable network partnerships, television programming activities and newspaper syndication and merchandise licensing operations. King Features is the world’s premier distributor of comics, columns, editorial cartoons, puzzles and games, distributing in print and online some 150 features to nearly 5,000 daily, Sunday, weekly and digital newspapers and other outlets around the globe. From comics to lifestyle advice, entertainment and political opinion to cartoons, King Features offers more than 160 branded and packaged content properties to companies that look to retain loyal users. King Features enables Web publishers to extend their service and generate ad revenue while conserving resources.